The Barcelona Olympic Stadium was built originally in 1927 for the International Exposition which took place in 1929. It was also built in hopes of getting the bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics which ended up going to the city of Berlin in Germany. The stadium was designed by Pere Domènech i Roura.

During the 1950s the stadium was host to the 1955 Mediterranean Games and the National Football Club Final between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. In the 1970s the stadium mostly remained derelict and there was a lot of degradation to the stands and other parts as a result of the lack of maintenance.

After Barcelona won the bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics, the Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti helped in the renovations. The core was removed and they left only the outer facades. They also repaired and rebuilt new stands to replace the older unsafe ones.
The Barcelona 1992 Olympics was a monumental success for the stadium which brought it back into frequent use.